"Get To"

Before I take the stage with my band "90 Proof" a few things are inevitable.  I'm probably going to be a little nervous, I'm probably going to second guess the order in which I've placed the songs, and I'm probably going to be so damn thankful that I "get to" be on stage performing.  So where did this all come from?  A couple weeks ago I was talking with someone.  I don't remember who it was or the circumstances in which we were talking.  I do remember one thing.  I said something along the lines of "and I have a to play a show." I was complaining a little because I was tired or something...I don't remember.  He said back to me "You get to play a show."  Talk about a sucker punch.  I wasn't expecting that response but I'm glad he knocked me down a few pegs.  He's right.  I "get to" play a show.  There are likely many people who wish they had a band or a stage to play.  There are people everywhere who wish they could do a lot of things but maybe don't have the means, connections or circumstances in their lives.  Never should we be in a mindset that we "have to" when it comes to some of life's luxuries and duties.  We "get to" live freely, we "get to" have jobs that allow us to pay for things, we "get to" go on vacations, and we "get to" wake up each day with an option to be happy and go after what we want.   At tonight's show, I "got to" dedicate a song to another man who gave me some golden advice months ago.  I "got to" get a fan up on stage to sing with my band and it made his whole evening.  I "got to" see some old friends who hadn't been to a show in a while and it was wonderful to reconnect.  And, I "got to" have an amazing evening with some of the best musicians I have come to known...my band (Bruce, Danny & Jeff).  Never again will I say I "have to" play a show.  I "get to" play a show.  I'm blessed.  So to the man whom I don't remember that got me to think "get to": thank you!  You, my friend, rock because you helped change this mind for the better.  You, my friend, deserve the stage more than I do.  I have no idea who you are, but I promise to use the stage to help pay your wisdom forward.  And, it's awesome that I "get to" do that for you!  Thank you!

Non-Resistance Training

No, I'm not talking about a newfangled work-out at the gym that is all the rage right now.  However, it is a mental work out of sorts.  Non-resistance in this instance speaks to a new mindset.  It will make us much bigger men and women than other dumbbell or elliptical machine could.  Think about it: from the time we are very young we learn the art of resistance.  We resist the word "no", we resist nap time, we resist authority, we resist the comfort of home for a school day, etc.  This carries over into adulthood.  We resist looming lay-offs at work, hierarchical changes, a new gym routine from our trainers, a new website design we perceive as a nuisance rather than a help, and even the change in season from Fall to Winter.  My friends back in NY will understand the last example.  We spend a lot of time in life resisting.  Why?  Because a change means discomfort in our lives.  It means having to make alterations or even start over in some cases.  So what?  I've begun my non-resistance training.  I'm going to start letting the cards fall where they may without me meddling somewhere in the middle.  It will be interesting to see where I end up.  A couple of outcomes are possible.  The first: a beautiful situation that I might not have known had I resisted.  The other: a plain shitty situation.  No one said the end result would always be pretty.  Sometimes the end result will occur with or without our resistance.  Although it may seem less than desirable at first...there is a reason.  I would surmise that 7 out of 10 times in not resisting, the outcome will be better than you imagined.  I'm not condoning complete non-resistance.  We have a duty to protect ourselves from physical and mental harm.  We also have a civic duty to resist anything that impedes upon our constitutional rights.  I'm referring the other things in life that clutter our mind and keep us from being at our best.  Non-resistance training is not for the weak and it won't bring about instant results.  The mental muscle will take time grow.  But in sticking with this routine, I promise a better you and a better me!   That I can't resist!

Social Sweatworking

Let's be honest...if it weren't for social networking sites, I'd be on the phone a lot more, I'd have to be very creative or borderline stalker to meet the right people, I'd have to work 10 times harder to get two steps ahead, etc.  I could sit here and pontificate on the joys of social websites all day and their never ending uses to make life easier.  But Creators: can you just sit back and take a couple days off?  Us users are not going anywhere.  We are addicted to Facebook, crazy for Twitter and nuts about YouTube!  In the last couple weeks, Facebook decided that what we initially see on a person's wall isn't interesting enough.  Now, we get a slide show of pictures, where they work, where they went to school, a birth date...and probably soon: an underwear size.  I wouldn't really care so much if I had a choice whether to use the new "layout" or keep the old.  I did have a choice...for about 3 days.  After that, a forced switch-over was going to occur.  Twitter has been touting its new design but has been great about letting you keep the old.  Until now.  Again...your days of the old way are numbered.   I'm all about progress...both macro and micro.  However, it is enough to keep up with all the social websites and find a good balance between practical use, entertainment and anything in between.  I don't want to constantly deal with changes and figure out where icons, boxes, links and the whole nine yards now exist on a particular social website.  I could probably fashion a list of 10 other things to improve upon with Facebook, Twitter and all the other big gun sites.  I suspect these sites' respective design teams could too!  So please...leave the sites alone.  Think about this: When you drink out of a cup...you don't have to think twice about how to do it.  Cups are still relevant, still account for a portion of everyday sales and really haven't undergone a real giant change since their inception.   No Facebook, you are not a cup...but could you think like one?  I'm sick of being thirsty from all of this social sweatworking!

Oops! I Did it Back Then

It's human nature to want to forget past mistakes.  Some of us go a step further and vow never to speak of our "greater" less flattering moments again.  In some cases the latter is probably healthy! On New Year's Eve I was on a red carpet interviewing Kim Kardashian.   I've interviewed her what seems like a 1000 times.  But somewhere between asking her about a music video she recently made and what food she can't live without...she gave me a new year end mantra!  At the end of December she and her family send out emails to one another recapping some of the year's highlights and successes and some of the mistakes and missteps.  This might be why the family has had so much success in the retail world and have become an international brand.  Sure, some mistakes are easy to correct.  However, others require some intricate dissection.  If we brush off our mistakes without giving them the proper attention...how can we be sure we won't make them again?  The same is true of all our successes and prize moments throughout the year.  If we don't look in detail how we got to a particular achievement we could overlook an important step in what "would've or could've been" another down the road.  I'm not sure how in-depth the Kardashian emails get but the foundation for greater chance of success in life is there!  Every December I'm going to start looking back through the year...month by month...the good and the bad.   Mistakes are inevitable, but some are avoidable too!  And, success is guaranteed only if you do the right things 100 percent of the time!  Forget yearly resolutions.  Yearly reflections are more worth while.  Thanks Kim!